Make Your List, Check It Twice: Tips To Making A Wedding Guest List

With the holidays underway, we know that everyone is preparing their list for Santa. But if you are planning your wedding as well, you are creating a list that may be a little harder to create – your guest list. It’s a hard task for any couple. Deciding on who is in or out. It’s not easy, especially if you want to make everyone feel like they are included. 

But how about taking some pointers from Santa this season. Everyone hopes to be on Santa’s ‘naughty and nice list,’ but not everyone will make the cut. We are not saying that you should separate the good from bad, but you should organize your list in order of importance and impact. To give you a few tips on organizing your guest list, read below.

Start With Your Immediate Family 

Start with your immediate family and branch out to friends, etc. You’ll be able to control yourself better if you see that you are reaching too far out from those in your inner circle. Don’t start big and narrow down. Start small then add on. Even making an ‘A, B, & C’ list can be helpful to organize importance. 

A-List – Your close family and friends that must be at the ceremony. These are usually the people that you interact with the most.

B-List – This list includes colleagues, distant relatives, friends.. You would love for them to come, but there can be hurdles in them making it (money, distance, work, etc.)

C-List – This list consists of the ‘maybes.’ If you have the extra room in your budget, you can allow them to attend. 

Choose Venue Before Starting Your List

Local or destination weddings can reflect the size of attendees. So before you even start your list, decide on location first. This will allow you to know how many people your venue can handle.

Leave The Past Behind You

Most people start organizing their list, by remembering their childhood, teens, college years, adult years to present. The 1st-grade teacher that gave you an ‘A’ on your report card would be nice to bring to your wedding, but do you really think that the teacher remembers you? 

Base Your List On Your Budget

The number of guests you plan to invite, directly reflects your budget. The more guests you plan to have, the more money you are anticipating to spend. It’s important that you know an estimate of how many guests you are looking to bring because each guest adds to the number of plates your caterer will prepare, party favors you’ll need to buy, chairs you’ll rent and more.

Split The List

It’s fair to split the list amongst you and your significant other. Splitting it 50/50 can keep the wedding drama free. 

Set Rules

Have your list come with a set of rules. This can cut down your list really fast, especially if you want no kids at the wedding. You can also exclude exes or people you haven’t spoken to in more than 3 months. 

Avoid Plus 1’s When You Can

Adding a plus one to your single friend’s invitations can increase your overall wedding guest list numbers. If a guest does not have a significant other, don’t extend the invitation for them to bring an additional guest. 

Leave Your Feelings Aside

Your list may hurt some feelings, but that’s not your problem. Remember that it’s your wedding and your budget. 

So with a little preparation, stern attitude and organization, you can put together your guest list like a pro! If you want additional preparation for your wedding, you can check out our website. We help couples protect their wedding from mishaps that could occur on their big day. 

Photo by Alasdair Elmes on Unsplash